1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to traffic control devices and, more particularly, to traffic flow indicators mounted on traffic control devices for directing traffic in a desired traffic flow direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traffic control devices such as cones, barrels and tubes are universally used for a variety of traffic control purposes, for example, to warn vehicle drivers, bicycle riders and pedestrians of the presence of road hazards and road construction and maintenance projects, to delineate and separate work zones from lanes of traffic, and to direct the flow of traffic along desired lanes by the staggered placement of the control devices along a roadway. Traffic cones, for example, are deployed either by a machine that can automatically place and retrieve the traffic cones, or manually by a roadway worker riding on the exterior of a modified vehicle. Typically, the worker stands in a basket at the end of a truck, or sits near ground level between the axles of a customized cone body truck. The traffic cones are stacked or nested on the vehicles to conserve storage space.
To carry out their functions properly, the traffic cones must be clearly visible even at night and under adverse weather conditions. To this end, the cones are brightly colored, or provided with reflectors, or equipped with battery-operated lights. Signs and flags can also be mounted on the cones to provide warnings.
Despite the profusion of traffic cones on roadways for the above purposes, one traffic control function that could be improved involves directing traffic along a desired direction. A traffic cone by itself cannot point traffic in a desired traffic flow direction. Instead, a multitude of cones is placed in a staggered manner across a roadway to direct traffic in the desired direction. A typical lane configuration may use eighty cones for each one and a half miles of lane closure. It would, therefore, be desirable to employ fewer cones and to concomitantly lessen the workload of the roadway worker deploying and retrieving the cones. It is, of course, of paramount importance to unmistakably and affirmatively point the traffic in the desired direction.